Riches: What Does the Bible Say?

Text: Luke 8:14 There is a clear spiritual danger that is posed by the riches of this life. This doesn’t mean we must give away all that we own. But we cannot allow riches to take precedence over our service to God. We have all been blessed with varying amounts of riches. We need to […]

Vanity Among the Religious

Text: Ecclesiastes 12:8 By the end of Ecclesiastes, Solomon had thoroughly discussed the vanity of life. He concluded with our purpose: to fear God and keep His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Spiritual things must come first; everything else is secondary. Yet some, attempting to serve God, end up following vanity anyway in their improper pursuit of […]

“Easier for a Camel to Go through the Eye of a Needle”

Text: Matthew 19:23-26 This is one of the difficult statements of Jesus. It almost seems as though He is discouraging certain people from following Him (the rich). Yet this is not meant to be discouraging, but a warning. Riches are a potential danger to one’s spiritual well-being. What Jesus Does Not Say Jesus does not […]

Finding Purpose Amidst the Vanity of Life

Text: Ecclesiastes 1:2-11 All is Vanity Futility of wisdom (Ecclesiastes 1:12-18; 2:12-17) Futility of pleasures (Ecclesiastes 2:1-3, 10-11) Futility of possessions (Ecclesiastes 2:4-11) Futility of labor (Ecclesiastes 2:18-26) Yet These Things Can Have Profit Profit of wisdom (Proverbs 3:13-18) Profit of pleasures (Ecclesiastes 11:9-10) Profit of possessions (Proverbs 10:15,22) Profit of labor (Proverbs 14:23) Is […]

Sins of the Rich Man

Text: Luke 16:19-31 Focused Only on This Life (v. 19) Nothing wrong with riches (1 Timothy 6:17) or enjoying life (Ecclesiastes 11:9) But wealth & enjoyment are not our ultimate goal (1 Timothy 6:9; Ecclesiastes 7:2-3) If we’re not careful, these can turn us away from God (Luke 8:14) This world is only temporary (1 […]

Untimely Deaths in the Book of Acts

Judas (Acts 1:15-20) Judas’ death recorded earlier (Matthew 27:3-5), but discussed here His death fulfilled Old Testament prophecy (Acts 1:20; Psalm 69:25; 109:8) He was a disciple (Acts 1:17) — Christians can betray Christ just as Judas did (Hebrews 6:6) Ananias & Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11) Follows accounts of great benevolence by Christians in Jerusalem (Acts […]

The Fertile Fields of Sin in Sodom

Text: Ezekiel 16:49-50 There were certain conditions that gave rise to the exceeding wickedness among the people of Sodom Arrogance (Proverbs 16:18) Abundance (1 Timothy 6:17) Laziness (Proverbs 6:6-8) Selfishness (Matthew 22:39) Read the article: The Fertile Fields of Sin in Sodom